Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities presents the 25th annual Moore County Writers' Competition for 2013, which is funded by the Donald and Elizabeth Cooke Foundation.

This year's Writers' Competition Committee includes Cos Barnes, Sara Lindau, Cynthia Miecznikowski and Beth Walker.

"We are so pleased and grateful to have the kind support from the Cooke Foundation to continue this annual literary event," says Sara Lindau, committee chairman and spokesman.

The competition is open to students and residents of Moore County and grouped according to age: Grades 1-4, grades 5-8, grades 9-12, and adult. Submission categories are poetry (60 lines maximum), fiction (2,500 words maximum) and nonfiction (2,500 words maximum). Writers may submit one manuscript in each category.

First-, second,- and third-place winners in each age group receive prizes of $100, $50 and $25 respectively. The 2013 Writers' Competition booklet will include the winning manuscripts.

Entries should be postmarked or delivered to Weymouth Center, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., P.O. Box 939, Southern Pines, NC 28388, by Friday, Feb. 1. The committee will notify winners by the middle of March. First-place winners will read selections from their winning entries at an awards presentation at Weymouth Center on Sunday, April 28.

Submission guidelines are available at area libraries, The Country Bookshop, Weymouth Center and the Arts Council of Moore County, or online at weymouthcenter.org.

All of Moore County's public and private schools have also received the guidelines for this competition.

"If you are a teacher and have not seen the guidelines, please ask your principal, headmaster, or head of school for the form or go to the Weymouth Center website and click on 'Writing Contest,'" Lindau adds.